The Red Keep was never truly silent.Even in this late morning, while the king had summoned his small council and shut himself away with his closest advisors, the heart of the castle still beat to the rhythm of footsteps, whispers, and the clink of armor.
In a large room with wide windows opening onto an inner garden, Queen Rhaella sat on a stone bench covered with cushions. The late summer sun bathed the room in a soft light filtered through the leaves. In the center, a fountain murmured, water sliding along a stone dragon with folded wings.
Aemon was dozing in her arms, his small head resting against her chest. Rhaegar, meanwhile, sat on the knees of Lady Ellyn, one of the queen's closest ladies-in-waiting, busy trying to grab the ribbons that hung from her sleeve.
Around them, the ladies formed a living circle of silk, murmurs, and exchanged glances.
Near the entrance, three figures in white stood motionless:• Ser Barristan Selmy, knight of the Kingsguard, white armor immaculate, breastplate bearing the royal sigil, sword at his side. Gold rank.• To his left, Ser Jonothor Darry, with his grave gaze, a Silver rank, third sub-tier.• To his right, Ser Oswell Whent, bulkier, Silver rank, fourth sub-tier, his hand resting by habit on the hilt of his sword.
They did not speak.They barely moved.But their presence alone reminded everyone that the queen and princes were never left unguarded.
Rhaella gently stroked Aemon's fine hair.
"He sleeps so peacefully…" she murmured.
"The crown prince looks very well-behaved, Your Grace," Lady Ellyn replied with a smile. "Young Rhaegar, on the other hand, already has the energy of a warhorse."
Rhaegar, as if to prove her point, tugged a bit too hard on the ribbon, provoking a ripple of laughter around them.
"Gently now, my prince," Ellyn chided, kissing his forehead. "Ribbons don't fight back… unlike men in armor."
A light chuckle passed through the circle of ladies.
Rhaella smiled, but her eyes drifted for a moment toward the garden, where a few leaves shivered in the breeze.
"I wish this world were made of ribbons," she sighed. "Not swords."
Lady Bryne, a noblewoman from the Westerlands who was serving temporarily as lady-in-waiting for the duration of the great tournament, gave a slight shrug.
"Ribbons don't defend a throne, Your Grace," she said gently. "But your sons will, one day."
Rhaella drew Aemon a little closer to her.
A moment of silence followed, broken only by the sound of the fountain.People did not always speak of the war out loud, but it still lived in their memories:• rumors from the Ninepenny Kings' war,• lists of the dead,• knights who would never return,• grieving families in every region of the realm.
The war had never reached the walls of King's Landing, but it had left its mark in men's eyes.
"The tournament's festivities will help the people forget," Lady Ellyn whispered. "Seeing the princes, the knights, the banners… it gives the impression that everything is fine."
"People want to believe that everything is fine," corrected another lady softly, Lady Jeyne Fossoway. "Even when it isn't."
The queen did not answer right away.Her fingers played absently with a lock of Aemon's hair.
"My father used to say… the people don't always want the truth," she said at last. "They want hope. Songs. Figures to look up to."
She lowered her eyes to Aemon.
"And now, they are those figures."
She used the plural.Not just the crown prince.
Rhaegar, still awake, turned toward her as if he somehow sensed he was being talked about.
Their gazes met.
Rhaella smiled and held out her hand.
"Come here, my little dragon."
Lady Ellyn passed him carefully to her.
Rhaegar settled on his mother's lap, his hand resting on the fabric of her dress.
Aemon did not wake.
He slept deeply, breathing calmly, with a serenity that was almost unsettling for a child his age.
Lady Jeyne, who had never seen so many knights up close, cast a glance toward the three Kingsguard.
"They say…" she began hesitantly, "that the knightly ranks are like different worlds. A bronze-ranked knight could already cut down fifty ordinary men, couldn't he?"
Lady Ellyn nodded gently.
"That's what the maesters say. A simple awakening of aura is enough to surpass ordinary men. And the Silver ranks…"
She turned slightly toward Ser Jonothor Darry, without daring to stare too much.
"Silver ranks are worth dozens of common knights," she added. "And the Gold ranks…"
Her gaze slid to Ser Barristan.
"…are worth armies."
A younger lady from the Reach shivered.
"They say a Gold-ranked knight can slaughter three thousand untrained men in less than half an hour, isn't that so? It's almost… inhuman."
Ser Barristan said nothing, but his expression did not contradict it.
Rhaella raised her head.
"Inhuman or not," she said softly, "I'm glad they're on our side."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Barristan's white breastplate.
"And I'm glad the king insists you stay close to us," she added. "Especially to the children."
"It is our duty, Your Grace," Barristan finally replied in a calm voice. "Where the queen and the princes are, the Kingsguard must be ready to die."
Rhaegar, hearing the knight's deep voice, looked up at him and stared for a long moment.Then, as if the sight of this tall man in white armor fascinated him, he burst into a little laugh.
"Look at that," smiled Lady Ellyn. "The prince already recognizes his protectors."
Ser Oswell Whent allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile.
"He'll have to get used to it," he said. "We'll be in his shadow often."
Rhaella lowered her gaze to Aemon, who stirred slightly in her arms.
Sometimes she felt that her eldest son already saw her more as a queen than as a simple mother. His gaze was far too serious on the rare occasions when he was awake and not crying.
Rhaegar, meanwhile, behaved like any other child.
"Do you think…" Rhaella suddenly began, "that people are already comparing my sons?"
The ladies exchanged a cautious look.
"People always compare," Lady Bryne answered at last, carefully. "But that doesn't mean they love one less than the other."
"They just say the crown prince seems… calmer," added Lady Ellyn. "More… observant. Whereas young Rhaegar…"
"Has already conquered the hearts of the nurses," finished another lady with a laugh.
A soft ripple of laughter eased the atmosphere.
Rhaella nodded.
"They are only a few moons old," she breathed. "And yet… I sometimes feel as if the realm already looks at them as men."
She turned toward the garden, where a few late flowers still struggled to bloom despite the end of summer.
"I would like… for them to have at least a few years without any weight on their shoulders."
Her fingers tightened slightly around Aemon.
"But I'm afraid that won't be possible."
Lady Jeyne leaned forward slightly.
"Your Grace… is it true the king hopes to strengthen alliances through the tournament?"
Rhaella did not answer at once.
She knew that anything said—even here—could be repeated elsewhere.
But these women were her support.Her ears.And sometimes her only confidants.
"The realm is coming out of a war," she finally said. "People are tired. The lords are tired too… even if they won't admit it. The tournament is a celebration. But also…"
She searched for the right word.
"A marketplace," Lady Bryne supplied. "For promises. For marriages. For future loyalties."
Rhaella nodded.
"Yes. The king wants the houses to remember the day they saw the princes. To associate those faces with glory, with rewards… and with the gifts of the throne."
Lady Ellyn asked gently:
"And you, my queen… what do you hope for from this tournament?"
Rhaella fell silent for a moment.
Aemon shifted slightly, as if looking for a more comfortable position.Rhaegar was now playing with his mother's fingers, trying to catch them one by one.
"I would like… no one to die," she said finally. "But that's too much to ask, isn't it? In a tournament where men fight for honor and for seventy thousand gold dragons…"
"Men know the risks they take," Lady Bryne replied. "But I understand your fear."
Rhaella lowered her eyes to her sons.
"They will one day be at the center of all this," she murmured. "The dragons. The swords. The promises. The wars. The alliances."
She placed a kiss on Aemon's forehead.
"For now… I just want them to remain children."
Suddenly they heard, far away, the muffled sound of a horn.Then hurried footsteps in a corridor.
A maid entered, bowing deeply.
"Your Grace, forgive my intrusion… The king is still in council, but they say the discussions are… heated."
Rhaella's face betrayed nothing.
"Discussions are always heated when men speak of gold, war, and glory," she replied. "Thank you. You may go."
The maid backed away quickly.
Lady Ellyn frowned slightly.
"Do you think the king is… weary of all this?" she asked carefully.
Rhaella gave a sad smile.
"My husband has always been… tense," she said. "But the war, the crown, the weight of what lies ahead… all of that is heavier than people think."
She stared at the fountain for a moment.
"He will never say it out loud, but I believe he hopes to find, during this tournament, more than just a winner."
"What do you mean?" Lady Jeyne asked.
Rhaella turned her head toward the three white knights.
"He wants men he can trust," she said. "For us. For them."
She lowered her gaze to Aemon and Rhaegar.
"For the day when he can no longer be there."
A heavy silence settled.Even the fountain's murmur seemed to fade.
Ser Barristan Selmy, without leaving his post, lifted his chin slightly.
"As long as we live," he said in a grave voice, "the queen and the princes will never lack protection."
Rhaella gave him a small nod.
"I know that, Ser Barristan. And I am grateful to you."
Aemon stirred again, then finally opened his eyes.
Violet eyes, strangely clear, that first settled on his mother's face… then, slowly, on the white knights standing unmoving by the door.
He watched them for a long time, as if he understood they were something more than armor.
Rhaegar clumsily leaned toward him and placed his small hand on his brother's arm, just as he had done many times already.
The ladies exchanged a tender smile.
"Look at them," murmured Lady Ellyn. "They look like they're comforting each other."
Rhaella gazed at them, her heart tight.
Two little dragons, still unable to walk… and yet already at the center of every expectation.
"Yes," she answered softly. "They only have each other… and the whole world will be watching them."
Outside, in the distance, the first stands of the tournament were being raised.Soon banners would rise into the sky of King's Landing.Horses would be saddled, lances prepared, bows strung.
The realm was getting ready to cheer, to bet, to sing.
But here, in this room open onto a garden, in the midst of ladies, whispers, and gentle light, two princes breathed side by side.
They did not know it yet.
But everything being set in motion outside…would one day be their inheritance.
And while the king spoke of war, gold, and loyalty behind closed doors,the queen watched over the future of the realm, which still slept in her arms.
📌 Announcement — Official Discord + Early Access on Patreon
Hello everyone!
I've just created an official Discord for the novel, as well as a Patreon for those who want to support the project and get early access to the story.
✅ Patreon — Early Access
On Patreon, you will eventually get access to more than 30 chapters in advance compared to the normal release, along with exclusive posts and behind-the-scenes information about the novel.
👉 Patreon: patreon.com/empereur300
Note: If you can't see the Patreon page yet, that's completely normal — it simply means the page hasn't been approved by Patreon yet. It will become visible as soon as the approval process is complete.
💬 Discord — Community & Discussions
I've also opened a Discord server to bring the community together:
Polls (preferences, choices, and direction of certain elements)
A place to discuss the book, the chapters, and theories
A space to talk directly with me
👉 Discord: discord.gg/T97quQvCGC
Thank you all for your support, and I'm looking forward to seeing you there 🔥🐉